Captains, Damsels, and Epic Romances
by Andromeda Writes
Summary: Unconnected Cresswell one shots for all of your Cresswell Love needs!
1. Reconciliation

**Reconciliation**

It was a clean break. A smooth, easy, clean break.

It'd been ten months. He didn't miss her.

She was better off, wherever she was.

Well, she'd be _there _any minute now. It was her idea. She'd commed him the week before, saying she'd be in LA. That they should meet up.

He didn't know why he agreed. It was best to leave the past in the past, right? They tried dating after the war ended. They tried for an entire _year_, but he just had too many doubts and she was too optimistic. He never would admit that his doubts were him worrying that she would meet someone better, though she'd seen right through him.

It was weird that she was reaching out to him at all. He was the one who broke _her _heart. He probably shouldn't have accepted the invite, but she seemed to be doing well.

Apparently, she was even seeing someone….

Just as the jealousy started to creep into the back of his mind, the bell of the diner door rang and she was the one pushing through it. He lifted a hand and waved her over.

She was wearing a simple yellow summer dress, and her hair was halfway to her waist now. The LA humidity had given it a subtle wave, and there was a tint to her skin, her freckles darker than usual, as though she spent a lot of time in the sun these days.

"Hey, Thorne," she said with a smile, sliding into the booth across from him and picking up the portscreen menu. "Thanks for meeting me. I thought it would be nice to catch up."

He took a sip of his coffee. He wasn't much for the stuff, but it seemed appropriate. "Yeah, no problem. How have you been, Cress?"

She smoothed her hair back and then tapped an order into the screen. "I've been great. Just, you know, working and hanging out with, uh, friends. You?"

She was a lot less nervous than he remembered her being. "Much of the same. How's your hot shot hacking job?"

Cress laughed, rolling her eyes. "I'm not a _hacker_, I'm a _coder_. And it's great. How's your new Rampion model coming along?"

"Almost finished with the designs," Thorne told her. "It'll be released in 131. They think it'll be one of the more popular cargo ship models."

She glanced down at her hands and then slid the portscreen menu to the other side of the table. "That's amazing. You seem pretty happy."

Like usual, he put up a wall of positivity. "I am. Most things seem to be really falling into place. So, I heard through the grapevine that you're seeing someone. What's he like?"

Her eyes widened and she looked down. A blush spread across her face. "He's, um, he–he's great. We're not very serious right now. I've only been seeing him for a little less than a month."

His heart caved in. He couldn't pretend like he hadn't had some hope that Cinder had lied to him.

But why did he care? He didn't miss her. It'd been ten months. Their relationship was over. They weren't in love anymore.

He grinned at her. "That's great. I'm glad you're happy!" He was, of course.

An android rolled over with their food and drinks, setting their respective plates in front of them. Glad for some sort of distraction, he began to pick at his fries.

"Are you seeing anyone?" she asked. Her voice was steady, but he knew her better than anyone. She was worried about his answer. As if she had a right to be. Well, maybe she did. He was the one that left in the first place.

He took a sip of water. "Uh, no. I haven't dated since–yeah, you know. I've just been trying to keep it chill right now, now that our fame has died down."

Cress smirked. He didn't realize he'd missed her this much, but the feeling in his gut revealed a lot more than he expected. "You aren't trying to win that fame back? It was everything you'd ever wanted!"

"Yeah, well, it got annoying after a while."

"Yeah."

Their conversation trailed off into silence, nothing but the clinking of cups on the table and silverware on plates.

So much for catching up.

In truth, Thorne wanted nothing more than to reach across the table and run his fingers through her hair and tell her how much he missed her.

Because there was no pretending that he didn't. Not anymore.

As soon as he thought he might work up the nerve to say something, she spoke up. "I miss you, Thorne."

He dropped his sandwich onto the plate and looked up at her. She was staring at him, her jaw tight, her eyes afraid. She inhaled, as though she'd been holding her breath, and then looked down at the table. "I mean, I'm sorry, but I just–this guy I'm dating, I realized something about him the other day." She chuckled lightly, like there was a joke and he was missing it. "He's just like you. Well, like you were. He's an _asshole_. It's as if he's you, before the satellite crash, only the you you wanted to be. I'll never believe that you were ever as heartless as you lead on. But, Marcus, he's just… my stars. I can't get a word in edgewise with the guy. He cuts me off _constantly_, makes really inappropriate comments when we're in public together. And I…," she wet her lips, "I realized something else, too. I don't only dislike him because of what kind of person he is." She looked up at him now, her blue eyes every bit as striking against her sun kissed skin as they'd always been. "It's also because he's not you."

He sat back against the cushion of the booth, slack jawed, his heart pounding.

Thorne was speechless. She was the only person that had ever had that effect on him.

Carswell Thorne. _Speechless_.

Cress cleared her throat and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "So, uh, you pay at the table here, r-right?"

She grabbed the menu, tapped the screen, and then swiped her wrist across the red scanner light that appeared below it.

Without another word, she got up to leave. He mirrored her, paying as quickly as possible, grabbing his jacket and following her out into the warm, humid afternoon.

She was walking away. Fast. Swiping at her eyes.

"Cress!" he called after her. "Wait!"

She stopped, swiped at her face again, and then turned around. Her eyes were red and teary. "What? I pour my heart out to you and all you do is just sit there, and _now _you want to talk?"

A small crowd accumulated around them, interested. He was pretty sure someone was recording them, too.

"I'm sorry about that. I couldn't think back there. But you… you have no idea how much I want to say to you right now."

She crossed her arms. "Then _say it_."

"I've missed you every single day, Crescent. Nothing's the same without you. I thought it would've been easier by now, but it's not. I miss you. I miss my best friend. I miss my girlfriend. I've never not felt regret for leaving you."

She gathered her hair in a fist and pulled it all to one side. "So, what do we do about this?"

With three strides, he put himself right in front of her. His hands in her hair. Her lips against his.

She still used the same shampoo and perfume.

It was like she never left. Like he never ruined anything.

Perfect.

There were also people around them cheering, but they seemed to fade into the background.

She smiled, breaking the kiss. "Well, that's one thing."

He ran his knuckles across her cheek. "Come back, Crescent."

She grabbed his wrist, brushing a thumb over it, her eyes locked on his. "O-okay."

"Really?"

She tied her arms around his waist and pressed a cheek into his chest. "Really."

* * *

He was all the way on the edge of the bed, poised to fall off if he moved even one inch to the right.

This was familiar.

Also, his left arm was numb. That was even more familiar.

Memories of yesterday flooded his veins and he looked down at her. She was smiling. Blushing.

Just the Cress he remembered.

He rolled over top of her and landed on the other side of the bed so he wouldn't fall off during their impending morning conversation. "Well, you still sleep the same as you always have, I see."

She giggled and encircled an arm around him, pulling closer, resting her head against his shoulder, one leg wrapping its way around him. "Some things never change. You still snore."

He scoffed. "Some things you can't help, okay?" Thorne sighed. Tightened his hold on her. "Aces and spades, I've missed you."

She brushed a kiss across his collarbone. "I'm just glad I wasn't the only one." She pulled from his grasp and shuffled to the side of the bed, stretching. "I have a conference in a couple hours. I need to go back to my hotel to shower and change."

Cress reached for her port, likely to call a hover, but he plucked it from her grasp. "You've still got some outfits here you can use."

She gave him a look, quirked a smile. "Oh, I've grown since then, Thorne. I doubt they still fit."

She stood up and pulled her yellow dress over her head, pulled her hair into a pony tail. He frowned. "How long is the conference?"

"I'll be there all day."

"Oh."

"I'm going back to Seattle tomorrow evening." She sat back on the bed, facing him, reaching over and touching her palm to his cheek. "I'll be glad to spend tonight and all of tomorrow with you. But, for that to happen, I need to check out of my hotel before the conference, and I need to get my things."

"I'll drive you."

She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I promise I'm coming back, Thorne. You don't have to cart me around the city."

He gave her a signature Carswell Thorne smirk. "I've always enjoyed carting you around, my love."

She shoved him away gently, grabbed her port back, and then called a hover. Standing up, Cress regarded him again. "If we're going to do this, you can't get jealous so easily. You have to trust me, Thorne. You're _you _and I trusted you. I do trust you. Forget all those other guys, just focus on the fact that you can trust _me_."

His heart fluttered. She was so adorable when she was being straight-forward without stuttering. Well, her stuttering was adorable, too, but this was a serious situation. He reached over and took her hand, kissed the knuckles. "I will do better this time, Crescent."

She smiled, climbed off the bed. "Is that a promise?"

"It's a promise."

"Good. You haven't broken one of those yet."

And then she was out the door.

At least she was coming back this time.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Spring Break has turned me into a writing fiend. If only this didn't still mean that I'm procrastinating homework... Is it summertime yet? Anyway, as mentioned in the description, this little thing here is just one of many one shots I'll be posting under this title. I've posted a lot of fics, okay? I'm starting to feel crowded, but I can't bring myself to delete the less popular ones or reupload some of them to make it a bit cleaner around here. Oh well. Sorry for rambling!


	2. Catastrophes and Coincidences (AU)

**_Cat_astrophes and Coincidences**  


(**Hot Mess AU:** 'I asked a staff member and they said you've been coming to the pound every day to play with the [cat] I'm taking home today and that's why you're getting weirdly emotional.'-theappleppielifestyle)

* * *

Silky, smooth black and white fur. Adorable, with white fur around every paw, earning her the appropriate name – Boots. Just barely a teenager, she was rowdy and in need of a good scratching post. Cress already had the scratches on her arms and in her clothing to prove it, but she didn't care. She was taking the cutie home today.

If she could ever get that guy to stop cooing at her.

Cress walked to the front counter and leaned over, whispering. "What is that guy doing with my cat?"

The woman at the desk tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, chuckling behind her hand. "He comes here every day to play with her. He was so upset when he found out she was already getting adopted."

Cress swayed back on her heels and blew a tuft of hair out of her eyes. "Wonderful. Someone else wants my cat. Thank you." She grabbed her port off of the desk and sauntered into the play room.

He was pretty cute, but probably a little weird, since he was holding Boots to his chest and making strange noises at her.

Cress cleared her throat. "Uh, hi. That's my cat."

He looked up at her, crestfallen. "Oh, you're the girl that got here before me." He glanced down at Boots, bouncing her in his arms. She was purring. "I was literally one hour too late to fill out the adoption papers."

Cress felt guilty. She didn't know why. Boots was _her _cat. "Oh, I'm sorry," she lied, reaching over to scritch the cat between her ears. "If I hadn't spent the last two weeks setting up my apartment for her, I think I might've felt bad enough to let you adopt her instead."

He shot her a look, but his gaze was soft. He was smirking, too. Stars, he was handsome, with slicked-back brown hair and those deep blue eyes. Good galaxies above, Cress almost lost herself for a moment. She didn't notice how attractive he was upon first glance.

"I couldn't dream of doing that to a pretty girl like you," he said. Ah, he was one of _those_. "So, what're you naming her?"

"Boots."

He gasped, and then held the cat up in front of him. "Boots!" he cooed, his voice going two octaves higher, pushing his words together as if he were talking to a baby. "That is just the most perfect name ever for you! Yes it is!" He dropped the baby voice when he addressed Cress again. "I had a cat named Boots when I was a kid. She was an android, though."

"It's not the same, is it?"

"Right," he agreed.

Cress huffed. "Well, there's a park by my apartment complex that's cat-friendly. I was going to take her there about twice a week when I get off work early. Would you like to, uh…," her voice trailed off.

He seemed to understand well enough. "Seriously?"

Her face heated. "Y-yeah! Why not? We'll be in a public place, so it won't be creepy. And you seem like you'd be sad if you never got to see her again. So, yeah, why not? I'm Cress Darnel."

He beamed. "Carswell Thorne. You can call me Thorne."

* * *

It was the third time they all went to the park together, Cress, Thorne, and Boots.

Cress was falling hard.

She didn't have much upper body strength, and she was no match for the monkey bars.

As she clunked to the ground for the fourth time, Thorne laughed aloud, holding Boots in his arms. "You okay?"

She brushed herself off, taking care to be gentle on her lower back, which would likely be bruised in the morning. "Yeah, I'm fine!"

"Just let me win the bet," he said, a cocky half-smile on his face. "You can't handle it, it's fine!"

She glared at him and plucked Boots from his arms. "Then you can't handle her."

"That's not fair."

Cress giggled and then checked her port. "Well, it's almost 7. You know the drill."

"I'll see you Saturday, then?"

She was confused. They met up on Mondays and Thursdays. She quirked an eyebrow. "Saturday?"

He looked down at the ground, shoved his hands in his pockets, like he might be anxious. "I was hoping you'd let me take you out on a date. Saturday night. Just something simple, like dinner."

She blushed and reached up to scratch behind the cat's ear. "With or without Boots?"

He grinned. "I'll leave that up to you."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Worst. Title. Ever.


	3. Inter-Greek Peace (AU)

(**Disclaimer**: Some adult content (but nothing baaad. Don't get too excited. But it gets a lil racy.))

"Okay, next… Social Chair?"

The brunette sat up in her seat, adjusting the laptop on her lap. "So, I've been emailing social chairs of other organizations to set up mixers for next semester. Cara told us last Greek Council meeting that we need to try to do mixers with as many other sororities and fraternities that we can. And–I'm sorry, ladies–Beta Upsilon Zeta has expressed sincere interest in doing one with us."

Tension filled the air. "Of course they've expressed _sincere interest_," said Monica, Philanthropy Chair. "I doubt they even do mixers with other frats. We know how they are. They just want to score as much as possible. I think we should vote on this."

"I agree with Monica." Cress rarely spoke in meetings when she wasn't giving her report, but she _really _hated Beta Upsilon Zeta. She couldn't handle doing a mixer with them.

Tiffany rolled her eyes. "You guys know I'm good at my job, right? I take my position seriously. Anyway, every year on Valentine's Day, BYZ does a 'Singles Awareness' party. Their Social Chair has agreed to consider our attendance a mixer. We'll have to bend the truth a bit for the Council, and I know it goes against our ideals, but desperate times."

Bella scratched her head. "It's unorthodox, but I can't say I disagree. Vote?"

"Motion to vote."

Cress didn't hear who'd said it, but she was the first to respond. "Seconded."

She couldn't handle a mixer with them. She could, however, handle being around them while drunk.

There was a flurry of agreement from the 30 other girls in the room.

Bella nodded. "Everyone close your eyes." A beat. "All those in favor." Cress's hand shot up, unafraid of how… overly enthusiastic she was about getting it over with. "Hands down. All opposed…. Hands down. All abstaining? Hands down."

She cracked her lids and Bella, Delta Sigma's President, typed something on her computer. "Start making the arrangements, Tiff." _Thank god_.

* * *

Cress pre-gamed the party with Julia, Delta Sigma's secretary and her best friend. She figured that the drunker she was when she showed up, the better her experience with those assholes would be.

She didn't get as drunk as she'd hoped. Three shots was enough to loosen her up, and she looked amazing in the little black dress she'd opted into wearing.

As soon as she got into the party, she left Julia to hunt down the beer pong table. That was where she could be in her element.

A game was just about to end, and she'd shown up just in time. "Hey boys, can I join in?"

A man with jet black hair gave her only a cursory glance. "Sure. He's kicking my ass anyway. This game's almost over."

The other man, a brunette, jut his chin up at her, a way of saying 'hey', and then tossed the ball, landing it squarely inside of a red cup. The black-haired man cursed and then downed the beer.

Cress cradled a red solo cup in her hand as she assessed the brunette's strategy and skill. He was good, but she was better. She knew this just by watching alone.

Someone refilled the beer in the cups as Cress took her place at the marked spot in front of the table.

The brunette smirked. "Ladies first."

Her first toss landed straight inside the center cup. He laughed and downed it.

"Beginner's Luck?"

She flipped her hair over her shoulder, shot him a wink. "Something like that."

He lifted an eyebrow and grinned. Something flashed in his eyes, but she couldn't decipher it.

His first toss rode around a rim before toppling off the table. Cress shrugged and then prepared for her next toss. A bounce shot.

"Nothin' but the net!" Some random drunk dude shouted from behind her.

It'd landed in the very front cup. "That one and then the last cup all the way to your left," she told him.

Her opponent laughed, shook his head, downed the two cups of beer. "You're pretty good at this."

He was able to get out one more of her cups before she hit the last cup all the way on his right, an easy win with the Ring of Fire. She smirked at him, bowed as though she'd just finished conducting a symphony, and then moved away from the table.

He offered the table to someone else and then sauntered over to her. She moved methodically to the edge of the room so there wouldn't be so many people around them.

And she hadn't noticed it before, or maybe it was the alcohol, but he was _hot_. Blue eyes and brown hair and the sharpest jawline. Her favorite combination.

He smirked. "Not too often I get any good competition around here." His eyes did not stay on hers, deciding instead to trace over her form, her dress, her legs, back up again.

She licked her lips. "I'd say the same, but you weren't much of a competition."

"Where'd you learn to play like that?"

She deliberately tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, trailed her fingers down to the tips of her hair. Seductively. The tequila and beer were getting to her head, but she remained unconvinced that that was the only reason she wanted him. "Natural talent."

His body language read like her favorite book. He seemed to want her just as much as she wanted him.

He leaned against the wall, blatantly raked his eyes over her once again. "What did you say your name was again?"

"I didn't," she said, grinning crookedly back.

Something flashed in his eyes. The same look as earlier. Desire, maybe. "I'm Thorne."

"Cress."

He bit his lip and the alcohol was making her head swim with nothing but want. "Do you, um, wanna go somewhere quieter?"

She puckered her lips. "I can't imagine somewhere quiet in this entire house."

Thorne grinned, took her hand and led her up a staircase. Cress had a feeling that she knew exactly where this was headed. He took her down a hall. Up a shorter staircase that opened up to a small hall with only three doors.

"You live here?" she asked, her mind swarming with just how badly she wanted him.

Maybe she would regret this in the morning. But maybe it didn't matter.

He turned back and smiled at her. "I do."

She should've walked away. Delta Sigs were forbidden to have relations with the boys of BYZ. But he was just _so hot_. They would understand.

He pushed open a door and it wasn't at all what she expected.

The bed was made. There was not a single article of clothing on the floor, not a single misplaced book on top of his desk.

They would definitely understand. Not like it was a written rule, anyway.

"It's usually pretty quiet up here, regardless of what's going on downstairs."

She began to walk around, assessing his room, the few pictures he had on the wall. "I didn't expect it to be so clean."

"I get that reaction a lot. You from Delta Sig?"

_I get that reaction a lot_. _Ugh_. She glanced back at him. "Yup. I'm the Treasurer."

He nodded and sat down on his bed, invited her to sit next to him with a pat on top of the blanket.

This was her favorite part. She sank down next to him and crossed her legs, making eyes, hoping he'd pick up the hint.

"Recruitment chair," he said simply, moving to brush a strand of hair away from her face.

He smelled vaguely like beer and really expensive cologne and it was, somehow, a perfect mix. His lips were so inviting. Her eyes dipped briefly to them before meeting his again. "Fascinating."

With that one word, he was kissing her. He tasted like beer and she probably did, too. He was a great kisser, she noted. She tasted every inch of his lips, her tongue dipping in at the most opportune times, devouring him, her hands fisted in his hair, tugging lightly.

Her friends and sisters would _have _to understand.

She moved to straddle him, her hands still tangled in his hair, his exploring, and he ripped their mouths apart, trailing hot kisses down her throat and collarbone, one hand sliding to the zipper on the side of her dress.

His touch was like fire, and she was ready to ignite.

* * *

Cress woke up first. She usually did, and usually with hangovers twice as bad as the one she was fostering. But she didn't feel like leaving this time. She would hate herself for it later but, instead, she slowly pressed her back against him and shut her eyes again, praying for sleep. Maybe a bit more of it would lessen the severity of her headache.

Rather than falling asleep, she remained hyper-aware of his every movement, the hot breath on the back of her neck, the way his arm tightened around her like he expected her to be there, wanted her to be.

She managed to doze off, but it wasn't enough. She was awaken by him pulling his arm out from under her head.

Suddenly, she regretted not getting up and leaving. This would probably be awkward.

She let out a groan.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Cress sat up and cradled her head in her arms, the headache pounding against every part of her skull. "It's okay. I… I know it's technically against the 'rules' to stay, and I meant to leave earlier, but I couldn't move. It doesn't… _mean _anything…. Sorry."

He smiled. "No. I'm glad you stayed. Want some water and advil?"

_I'm glad you stayed_. "That would be great."

He was still completely naked when he got up. Cress thought to cover her eyes, before silently berating herself for thinking it mattered.

Thorne slipped on a pair of boxers before walking to a minifridge she hadn't noticed the night before, pulling out two bottles of water. He grabbed a pill bottle off of the top of the fridge and poured a few into his palm.

He gave her half of the pills in his hand and they toasted their waters to 'inter-Greek peace'.

Cress downed the water bottle in one go, hoping it would also help alleviate some of the terrible morning breath she tended to have after a night of drinking. Thorne grabbed the empty bottle out of her hand and threw it in… a recycling bin?

What a surprise. He was really good at surprising her.

She stood and began to trowl the room for her clothes, feeling him watching her. She tried not to think of what he was thinking.

"Do you wanna go to breakfast?" he asked as she moved to pull her bra on.

Her fingers faltered over the hooks. "Really?"

Thorne laughed. "Yeah. I swear this isn't something I do all the time. I know we're supposed to technically be enemies, but I kind of want to get to know you better."

"Why?"

"You're cute. And I'm really interested in knowing how you ended up with such a good BP technique." He winked at her.

Cress wasn't sure what to think. Last night was the only contact they'd ever had with each other. "So, I beat you at beer pong and we had a night of drunken sex at a frat party, and you don't want to throw me out of the house when I don't leave before you wake up? I'm impressed."

He grinned. "I hope you're not that easy to impress, Cress. But seriously, breakfast? I'm starving."

"I would, but I left my wallet at the house."

"I'll cover you." He walked to his dresser. "And I'm assuming you don't want to go out in that dress. I'm sure I've got something you can wear."

Cress was absolutely dumbfounded. "Are you messing with me?"

He gave her a questioning look. "No. Here, I'll wear basketball shorts, too, so you don't feel weird." He tossed her a pair of shorts. "And I have an old tank top that could probably fit you."

She started to dress. Her phone fell out of a fold of her dress and onto the floor. She had 15 texts and 4 missed calls. She sent a quick text back to Julia, promising she was fine, and then looked back at Thorne. "Are you… I really feel like you're joking."

He laughed. "Hey, you're the one who stayed, and you think _I'm _the one messing around? Anyone else would've thought that you meant something by not leaving when you had the chance."

"Oh, please." She felt herself blushing. Furiously. "I told you. I couldn't move! And besides, we hardly know each other."

"Which is the point of breakfast!" He grabbed the keys that were hanging from a hook on the wall. "It's a good thing you wore flats last night, because I don't have any shoes you could wear. C'mon, I need some pancakes."

* * *

Her laughter probably reached the kitchen of the pancake house, but she couldn't help it. "That was _you_?! I feel like I would've recognized you!"

"No way!" he said, chuckling along with her. "I was a total loser my freshman year. I do not look good with glasses and a buzz cut, okay? It was all right at high school, but here?" He laughed just a bit harder. Cress loved the sound of it. "I learned my lesson."

"So, how did that go over? I'm surprised you didn't get expelled."

He shrugged. "As it turns out, President Bennett was really looking forward to getting a new car soon, so he didn't care that I happened to total his. I thought the dude was going to just break into tears because I destroyed his baby, but no! He was excited. It was the… strangest coincidence."

"Oh, wow. Yeah. I don't have any thrilling stories like that. I was a good girl until I joined a sorority. Though not Delta Sig's fault. I was really sheltered as a kid. I'm sure I'd've been like this before had my parents been a bit more laissez-faire."

"Seems you're a natural tease." He winked at her. She rolled her eyes in response.

For the first time in the hour and a half they'd been there, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He cursed. "We have a recruitment event in an hour, and as Recruitment chair, I have to be there, so I've gotta go. I'll drop you off at the house?"

She smiled. "Would you? And maybe on the way over, I can give you my number. In case you ever wanna hang out again, you know."

He hummed. "Play your cards right, and you might just end up on my speed dial."

He paid their bill and they went to his car.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thanks for breakfast. And, uh, I'll return your clothes tonight after chapter. The BYZ house isn't too far of a walk."

"Or… we could hang out again tonight instead."

Cress grinned, realized she might like him? Maybe just a bit. They were still technically enemies, still sort of strangers. Acquaintances. "We could. I can't stay too late, though. I have an 8 AM."

He smirked. "I can't believe you would assume that I would try to keep you out all hours of the night on a school night." He reached over the shifter, ran his fingertips over the back of the hand resting on her knee. Goose bumps flooded her skin. "I know it's hard to believe, but I'm a _bit_ classier than that."

* * *

**Author's Note**: As a #Sorority Girl, I had to write a GreekLife Fic. And what better couple than Cresswell? Exactly. SORRY CRESS IS A BIT OOC. BUT LIKE. LISTEN. IT'S AN AU I DO WHAT I WANT. This wasn't meant to be serious! I just wanted to have fun with another Cresswell College!AU. PS: Sorority &amp; Fraternity names are made up. Any resemblance to any you may know is strictly coincidental.


	4. Restless

**Restless**

There were nights when Cress was kept awake with the weight of the past. It wasn't all so bad anymore - she no longer cried over the horrors they'd faced. Everything was much better now than she could've ever imagined.

She didn't mind the sleepless nights, for the most part. She usually ended up sleeping at some point, but she enjoyed more watching him sleep. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she was able to trace lines over the peaceful expression he kept at night.

He was so handsome, even in this vulnerable state.

When the exhaustion finally set in, she tucked her head into her pillow.

No sooner than she closed her eyes did she hear him speak.

"Cress, you awake?" A whisper, clear as the night sky. He hadn't been sleeping.

"Mhm."

Still with his eyes closed, he turned on his side and pulled her into him. He pressed his forehead against hers, his nose grazing her cheek. She could feel his breath on her lips and she knew they were not even inches from touching.

"Can't sleep?" she asked.

"No. I can see you can't, either."

She slipped her hand around his back. "Not tonight."

They stayed like that, in silence, for a long time. She was starting to think he'd fallen asleep, but she was wrong again.

"I think I'm in love with you, Cress."

The fire in her chest reignited. "Don't tell me it took you two whole months to realize that. I must be losing my touch."

"Hey." He sounded tired now. "That's my line."

She wished he would open his eyes. Even in the darkness, she had always been able to see just how brightly they shone. One day, she'd be able to verbalized how much she loved every part of him, but the time hadn't arrived just yet.

Cress slid one leg between his, the other curling over his thigh, anchoring them together. It wasn't a struggle to brush her lips over his. In truth, it was a lazy kiss, but those were some of her favorites.

She dropped her chin just enough to speak. "I love you, Captain."

Cress hadn't slept so well in months.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Just a cute lil post-war Cresswell drabble I wrote at 2:30 AM. I hope you enjoy it! Happy Easter to those who celebrate it, and a happy Sunday (Monday?) to those that don't! xo


	5. Patterns

**Patterns**  
(based on a prompt from otpprompts)

* * *

It was so quiet in the room.

So quiet and so, so dark.

All he could see was her silhouette in the darkness when his eyes had finally adjusted.

He couldn't believe they'd gotten to this point, that he had finally sucked it up and told her how he felt. That he finally let himself love her.

And oh, how he loved her.

He was so close to actually telling her, it was just a matter of actually _spitting it out_.

It was 3:04 AM. Cress was turned away from him, her shoulders moving in a steady up and down motion, in time with her breaths.

Heart in his ears and silence everywhere else, he reached out a tentative finger, ran the tip over the back of her shirt.

A quiet sort of noise fell from her, but silence engulfed them again. She was still sleeping.

Thorne began to trace patterns in the back of her shirt, smiling as he did it.

He traced the first letter, and if she was still asleep, the rest of it wouldn't matter.

The next letter came. And then another. Five more, and he was starting over. He would say it to her one day, admit that she'd caught him in every way, that she had him wrapped around her little finger. That she had completely and utterly _destroyed _him for every other woman.

He traced the letters, the words, the admission again. And again. And again, assuring that he changed spots every now and then so it would be more comforting than irritating on her skin.

When he finally thought he was ready to fall asleep, he moved onto his back and shut his eyes, trying to let the exhaustion surround him.

He felt a slight movement, a dip in the mattress, and then an arm around his waist. Lips at his ear.

"I love you, too."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Don't mind me, just a lil drabble to try and kickstart my creative drive now that it's summer for me! This one sounds a _lot _like "Restless", but I've been wanting to write this prompt for Cresswell foreverrrrr.

**Prompt: **Imagine person A lightly tracing "I love you" over and over again on person B's back, assuming that person B is asleep. When person A is lying on their back, getting ready to sleep, person B moves closer and wraps their arms around person A, whispering softly, "I love you too." Bonus if that's the first time person A has ever declared their love for person B.


	6. Winded (AU)

**Winded**** (AU)**

The lights flickered and alarms sounded from outside. Cursing to himself, seemingly alone in the small office building on the outskirts of town after quitting time, he pushed into one of the unisex bathrooms and hunkered down across from the toilet.

Pulling out his phone, he began to scroll through all of the alerts.

_TORNADO WARNING ISSUED UNTIL 7 PM PST. TWO TOUCHDOWNS REPORTED WITHIN A 100-MILE RADIUS. PLEASE TAKE COVER. TORNAD…_

_TOUCHDOWN REPORTED JUST EAST OF OKLAHOMA CITY. RESIDENTS ARE ADVISED TO TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. TOUCH…_

He groaned to himself. Getting swallowed up by a tornado was _not _on his list of things to do today. Why had he even moved to the godforsaken Midwest, anyway? Tornado Alley, the whole of it.

The bathroom light flickered, shut off for a moment, came back on.

He was probably going to die. Well, at least he'd lived a good life.

As he rested his head back against the tiled wall, trying not to imagine how dirty the floors were, the door swung open.

"Occupied," he said, annoyed.

The woman who entered squealed a bit and jumped back into the hallway, still holding the door open. "Can I come in, please? This place is _covered _in windows!"

He gestured toward the wall opposite him, right next to the toilet. Disgusting. As she entered, he trailed a quick glance over her. "Yeah, sure. Could use some company on my dying day."

Her jaw slackened and she fell against the wall. "What?"

"Oh, aces. It was a joke. Sit down, we're fine. We're going to be fine."

The woman knit her eyebrows together. She wasn't familiar, though he had only been working there about a week anyway. "D-do you work here?" she asked.

He grinned. "Just started. I'm Thorne. Well, Carswell Thorne, but please just call me Thorne."

The woman wet her lips. She was visibly trembling. "Oh. I'm, uh, Cress. Cress Darnel, but you can call me Cress."

His grin widened. She was _cute_, now that he was looking at her. With short-cropped blonde hair, a small frame, and a pretty dress that curved around her with ease. "What an honor. What department do you work in?"

She started to answer, but a loud crack of thunder outside made her jump, and he let out an unmanly screech, ducking his head into his knees.

When it passed, he looked back up and she was laughing at him. As if she hadn't just been trembling! He could feel his hackles rising.

Catching his eye, Cress smirked. "Afraid of a little thunder?"

Thorne clenched his jaw and considered her. "We don't get much rain back in California. And _you _were the one freaking out ten seconds ago."

"As long as I'm somewhere without windows during one of these, I'm fine. It just takes a minute to calm down."

He narrowed his eyes. "Calm down. _Right_. Except that we might actually die in here."

She blinked. "I've lived here my whole life, have been through multiple tornadoes and I'm still alive." Her tone was flat, bordering on innocence.

A shrug. "You never know."

"We're going to be _fine_. You said it yourself."

Hitting his head lightly against the wall, he stared at the ceiling. "Didn't mean I believed it."

"Stars above!" she laughed. "You're actually scared!"

"Earthquakes I can handle," he said. "But a _tornado_? Aces and spades."

Cress propped an elbow on her knee and rested her chin in her palm. "How old are you anyway?"

"Twenty-three."

She chuckled. "You're almost a baby!"

Thorne rolled his eyes. "What are you, thirty?"

"Twenty-seven!" She scoffed.

"You're, like, five feet tall."

"You're charming."

He smirked, finally getting the upper hand here. "I've been told that once or twice."

Cress rolled her eyes, clicked her tongue, and turned her head away from him so she wouldn't have to look at him while they waited out the tornado.

Thorne quickly found himself bored with just sitting there and checking the latest updates. Only minutes had passed when he regarded the woman again. "You know, most men love older women."

She flushed, perhaps flattered. Or maybe angry. "_Excuse me_?"

Okay. Definitely angry.

"Just making an observation."

She fumed. "You are _way _too young for me, thanks."

He laughed, though it held only a bit of humor in it. What did she mean, he was too young for her? Most women fell over themselves to get his attention. But no matter. She was the one trapped in a bathroom with him.

Silence filled the space between them as harsh air whirled outside. Though the bathroom had no external walls, it went to show how bad the storm had gotten. There was only a matter of time before they were hit by a tornado. Thorne had never known what that was like, but he had a feeling. Like an inborn instinct that was gnawing at him. _It's coming. It's coming. It's coming._

He risked another glance at her. She was already looking at him. "You should come over here," she offered.

He quirked a brow. "By the _toilet_? Disgusting."

"The cleaning crew keeps it pretty nice in here. Besides, the plumbing goes underground, so this thing isn't going anywhere. C'mon. You'll feel better."

"I'll be feeling something," he muttered, reluctantly standing to his feet and carefully walking to the other side of the small bathroom, as if moving too quickly would conjure up a tornado all on its own.

Just as he sat, the entire building shook.

Cress cursed and wrapped one arm around the porcelain, burying her head in her knees and throwing her other arm around her head.

This was it. The tornado was coming for them.

Thorne mimicked her action just as the lights blinked out, cloaking them in darkness. The building shook, a ceiling tile falling in front of them. He heard the toilet paper and paper towel dispensers as they were knocked from the wall, and Cress cried out. Thorne assumed that one had toppled on top of her.

Time seemed to pass so slowly, though in reality, it more than likely hadn't even lasted a minute. The building shook violently, as if it _were _an earthquake, and he could hear walls being torn apart, windows shattering, metal grinding against metal. Everything was happening at once, everywhere, there was the sound of wind. Moving impossibly fast.

If he weren't so scared and trapped in the middle of it, Thorne would probably be fascinated.

It was so loud that he almost couldn't hear anything. Then, there was light. The ceiling had been ripped away to reveal the threatening gray of the sky, and a tornado not even 100 yards away. Thorne clung to the toilet, reaching his fingers out to brush Cress's sleeve to make sure she was still there, still whole.

And then, as if nothing had happened, the world quieted around them.

Thorne lifted his head to assess the damage.

No ceiling, check. All four walls still intact, check. Debris covered the floor, and Thorne dusted drywall and dirt from his hair.

Cress was already standing, though her legs were shaking. Her breathing was rapid, uneven, and Thorne stood and approached her.

"You okay?"

Shaking her head, as if trying to clear her head, she pressed a hand to her heart. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm fine. How was your first tornado experience?"

There was a lightness to her tone, and for that he was grateful.

"We're alive," he said simply.

Cress looked up at him then, smiling. And it just felt right. With the adrenaline coursing through him, and more than likely through her, he bound her up in his arms. They were safe. They had made it.

He kissed her. And she kissed him back. Sweetly, and yet ravenously at the same time.

It was all the adrenaline, he told himself. She'd mentioned quite enough times that he was too young for her, so he savored the moment.

When she pulled away, he gaped down at her.

"Geez," he muttered, turning up the charm again. "At least buy me dinner first."

She smirked. "Let's get someone out here to get us out of this mess, and then we'll talk."

He released her and plucked his phone from his pocket. The screen was shattered, but it still worked. He'd get it fixed eventually.

For now, he had a date to procure.

* * *

**Author's Note**: This one's for you, LLC. (She gave me this prompt, though her only requirement was that Cress was the one who was older! It only took me an entire week to write... ugh. Creativity! Come back!)


	7. The Little Things

**Disclaimer: **I am so, so sorry.

* * *

It was always the little things he picked up on first.

At the beginning of their relationship, and up until recently, he noticed how she would always make sure to check his jean pockets for his portscreen before throwing them in the laundry chute. After that first mishap, he'd never forgotten to do it himself, but she was diligent about it nonetheless.

Or the way she always gave him an extra scoop of ice cream, knowing he'd want more if she didn't. Or how she adopted a tuxedo cat–though having pets that weren't androids was rare nowadays–with white paws and appropriately named Boots, an homage to his childhood pet that he had always wanted to be real.

Cress was good at the little things that showed her love for him. Thorne was excellent at picking up to them. He had tried to reciprocate, but found he wasn't so good at it. It seemed to be a talent that came naturally, rather than one that could be easily learned.

Now, the little things he noticed were a lot different. The way she dropped conversations as easily as he started them. How she no longer reached out to touch him. How she never slept curled up against him anymore. Their friends had reassured him that cuddling every night wasn't necessary, and likely meant that Cress felt secure enough in their relationship to no longer need to.

Thorne wanted to believe that–wanted so desperately to believe that everything was okay between them, though she smiled and laughed much less than she used to. He was starting to miss that pretty smile of hers.

And, aces, she hardly ever kissed him anymore.

That was the most telling.

It took two lengthy, agonizing months before his fears were realized.

He finally gathered up the nerve and asked her if anything was wrong, to ask her what had _happened_ to them.

And she was silent. For a while, she said nothing, tears welling in her eyes and chest heaving in air. Eventually, she gulped down her emotions and told him that she was no longer in love with him. She had tried, had tried to get back the love that she had somehow lost, but to no avail.

Just like that, it was over.

He wanted to know how, how could someone just fall out of love? He had once claimed to have experience in this area, but he knew it wasn't true. Everyone had always known it wasn't true. It was all just a ruse to make it out like he was unbreakable, like he was titanium.

But he knew better than anyone else just how fragile his heart could be.

He had given it to her, and she had destroyed it.

They talked for a long, long time. Nothing came of it. She had just fallen out of love, and she was leaving him. She could now, now that things were somehow back to normal, and she had adjusted to life on Earth.

Thorne used to believe that they would be together forever, even if he was the first man she'd ever met and fell in love with, and that they would always be happy and in love. He dreamt of his proposal, of her yes, of their wedding. Things he'd never admit to anyone else.

At the end of that heartbreaking hour, he asked, "Is there any way we can fix this? Is there any way I can make you stay?"

"No," was all she said.


	8. when you were scared

**the things you said when you were scared**

Cress was probably going to die. She knew it by the way the guards had them outnumbered two to six, a thaumaturge flanking them to assure none would turn on their comrades, on their queen. She knew it by the way Thorne was clutching her hand with such strength that, if she somehow survived the next hour, she surely would never regain feeling in it again.

Backed against the stone wall of the palace, Cress held her chin high and her shoulders back. She would die young, but she would die doing what was right. That, she decided, was the best way to go.

Thorne leaned into her as the thaumaturge forced the guards to aim their guns at them, but not shoot. No, he was probably going to let them suffer and wonder when it would be their time to go. He had all the time in the world ,with the rest of the war happening everywhere but where Cress and Thorne had ended up.

"Cress, there are a lot of things I never told you," he began.

Her heart started to pound. Was this it? He would only tell her he was in love with her now that they were going to die? What good did that do? But she kept her questions to herself.

"I hope you can forgive me for being such a cad," he said, "considering we're about to die and I don't think that now is exactly a proper time to kiss you."

Her eyes fell from the guards, finally, and slid to him, questioning.

Thorne pulled her into a hug as the thaumaturge laughed before them, but she hardly heard him, because Thorne was whispering in her ear now. "When they start shooting, I'm going to protect you. Pretend to be dead. You might get hit, and it will hurt, but I promise I won't let them kill you."

As the weight of what he was saying set in, her eyes widened, and that's when she heard the first _crack_! of a gun.

* * *

**Author's Note**: I have, like, too many ficlets on Tumblr that I've never posted on here! This is my favorite one uwu. I wrote it for a prompt meme! It was a lot of fun! The ending is ambiguous. No one said that Scarlet didn't zoom in, guns blazing, and saved the day. That's all I'm saying.


	9. A Disastrous Engagement

**A Disastrous Engagement**

He kissed her forehead. "Wake up."

She scrunched her nose and turned over, continuing to snore.

He frowned, and then tried again. He flitted his hand over her back. "Cress, wake up."

"No," came her sleepy groan.

Thorne smiled. "Happy birthday, babe. I've got exciting things planned." Aces, did he ever.

A moment of silence. A moment of stillness.

She rolled over, her eyes barely open. "Stars, fine. I'm up."

Thorne pulled himself out of bed. He'd been up for a few hours now, making sure everything was in place, so he had no issue with the act.

Cress, on the other hand, did. When he saw her starting to doze, he leaned over to shower her with a few kisses. "No, no. Time to get up. I'll make breakfast while you get ready, okay?"

She painstakingly pulled herself up. "Okay-y," she whined. As she stood, she turned to face him. The morning sun coming in through the window framed her like a halo. Despite her horrible bedhead and smeared makeup, she looked angelic. Thorne's smile broadened.

"You look exhausted, darlin'."

That one had been his fault, since he'd kept her up so late.

She glared at him before stalking off to the bathroom.

He set off to the kitchen to make breakfast. Pancakes, with chocolate chips and strawberries and whipped cream. It was a favorite of Cress's.

As he cooked, he kept an ear out for the sounds of her getting ready.

When the shower shut off, it meant, like clockwork, that he had ten minutes.

He grabbed the strawberries and whipped cream out of the fridge. He kept an eye on the clock as he sliced them.

Any time he cooked on a time restraint, he silently thanked Scarlet for teaching him proper knife techniques. And for teaching him how to cook in general.

He had four minutes.

Thorne set the plates on opposite sides of the table. One fork and one knife each. A glass of almond milk. A card on front of her plate, the number "20" overtaking the entire front of it.

One minute.

He placed napkins down, lit a candle, stood behind her chair.

Cress emerged wearing a robe, her chest-length blonde hair soaking the back of it. "Thorne," she said, voice still exhausted, though less so now. "You didn't have to do this. That's so sweet." She walked over to him and gave him a long, slow kiss. She pulled away far too soon for his liking. "Thank you."

"Happy birthday."

She picked up the card first. He had written a novella on the inside, so it took her a moment to read it, sitting down in the process. A smile glued to her lips. When she finished, she met his gaze. "You're the best."

He smirked. "Only after you."

She set the card down gently and began to eat, her face betraying just how much she was enjoying breakfast. "Spades, this is good."

"Thanks for the ego boost."

Cress yawned. "So, why are we up at 8 AM on a Saturday? On my _birthday_, no less?"

"Depends. How do you feel about visiting Honolulu again?"

She stopped mid-bite, eyes going wide. She set her fork back on the plate. "Really?! We haven't been there since we did the vaccine drop!"

"I know," said Thorne. "I've been saving it."

Cress's cheeks reddened, her smile so big it nearly took up her whole face. "Captain, that's so nice. Thank you."

Cress always saved that nickname for when she was feeling grateful - "overwhelmingly so", she'd once explained.

He ate another bite of pancakes and strawberry. "I want you to have the best birthday, my dear. It's not everyday you enter another decade of life."

"You're too good to me."

"Ditto." As he bit into another forkful, his mouth automatically puckered.

How had he not noticed a bad strawberry? Surely, if it were this disgusting, it did not look like the rest.

It must have started to grow mold, and he didn't even notice.

He jumped up, startling Cress, and ran to spit it out in the trash can. "Yuck," he complained. "Bad strawberry."

Cress began to laugh, talking around a mouthful. "You should've seen your face! Stars, I wish I could've gotten a picture!"

"Well, there goes my appetite."

"I'm done anyway," she said, shoving her empty plate away. "It was really great."

He sauntered over, kissing the top of her head, her wet hair smelling strongly of her shampoo. "Finish getting ready. I'll clean the kitchen."

Cress hopped up, turning to him and throwing her arms around his shoulders. Pushing herself onto her toes, she kissed him hard. "I won't be long."

* * *

Thorne pulled the podship smoothly into the hotel's garage. They hopped out and he grabbed their bags. Cress plugged the charging cable into the ship.

"This is a really nice hotel," she said. "How long have you been planning this?"

He smiled. She had no clue what she was in for. "A few months now."

But he couldn't prove that, because when they went to check in, the receptionist gave her computer a quizzical look.

"We have a Carswell Thorne, but it's not under that ID number."

Thorne stitched his brows together. "I must have entered it wrong. Can we fix it?"

"I'm sorry," the woman said. "Because it was done so far in advance, the information is locked in. And I can't prove that it was you who attempted to make the reservation, so I unfortunately cannot give the room up."

He looked dejectedly at Cress, who gave him an encouraging smile.

"Do you have any other rooms available?"

She began scanning the computer. "I believe so, though it may not be ideal."

"We'll take it," said Cress.

It definitely wasn't ideal.

There was a twin sized bed with a recliner. Though the recliner didn't look too bad, and there was a sizable bathroom, the room Thorne had tried to reserve had a king size bed with an in-room hot tub. This was nothing short of a major downgrade.

Cress flopped backwards on the bed, splaying her limbs out. "Stars and spades, this bed is comfortable."

Thorne grunted and sank into the recliner. "I'm sorry, Cress. I didn't even notice I'd put in the wrong number."

"I could've fixed it in the system if the receptionist ever walked away. We would have been caught if I'd tried anything while she was there."

"It's okay, Cress. I should have double checked."

She sat up on the bed, scooting to the edge and laying down again, propping herself up on her elbow. "Come here," she said.

He walked over and slumped face-first in the bed. Half of his body hung off of it. "I just want today to be perfect," he whined.

Cress ran her fingers across his back. "It really is okay, Thorne. It'll be perfect no matter what." She wrapped an arm around him and pulled herself as close as she could. "Now, you mentioned snorkeling?"

Hawai'i was a good place to go snorkeling. The clear water, the vibrant sea life, the beauty of it all.

The boat ride to one of the reefs was short, not too far from shore, and they were helped into the water by the captain. "We will come 'round to collect you when your hour is up. Be safe, and use the emergency button on your life jackets if you need it."

As the boat left, Thorne turned toward Cress. "You ready?"

She nodded excitedly, adjusting her mask and snorkel so she was fully protected.

It was as beautiful as he'd imagined, and he could tell by the way Cress was swimming around that she was enjoying herself.

As they explored, they saw so many kinds of fish, a few sea turtles, and an abundance of crabs, coral, and sea sponges.

About forty minutes into it, Thorne poked his head up. "Hey!" he shouted, trying to get Cress's attention. When she looked at him, he said, "There's a sand bar over there." He pointed. "I'm gonna go take a quick rest. Don't go too far."

She nodded and, saying nothing, returned to enjoying the world beneath the surface.

Thorne swam over to the sand bar. He moved to stand, placing one of his swimming fins on the ground, when he felt something move beneath it.

He tried to look down, but saw only a blur of red before a searing pain erupted just above his ankle. As a small cloud of blood began to trail out of the wound, created by the crab that he could see scurrying across the sand, he cried out.

Cress was over to him in an instant. Thorne, not wanting to attract any unwanted marine life with his blood, hit the emergency button on his life vest and climbed the rest of the way onto the sandbar. Cress followed him, panic in her voice.

"Stars and spades and every ace, what happened?"

He let out a soft cry of pain. "Crab."

She crawled to inspect his leg. "Oh, babe. That looks bad. Did you hit the emergency button?"

"Sure did," he groaned.

"Stars above, I hope that thing actually works."

Thorne bent his head so that he could look at her. "I'm really sorry for this. Today isn't going as well as I'd hoped."

She crawled back up to sit next to where his head was resting on the sand. She brushed some hair out of his face. "Are you kidding? I'm having so much fun. I swam with a sea turtle, Thorne. It was amazing!"

He loved seeing her smile like that. He loved that he was there alongside her every time she experienced something she'd only dreamt about during her time on the satellite.

Sadly, her happiness did not completely numb the pain.

His leg stung where it had been cut, and he could hear the approaching boat, but he looked only at her. "I love you," he said.

Cress scrunched her nose at him, smile still present. "I love you, too."

* * *

Back on shore, a med droid patched up his leg and they returned their snorkeling gear. They rinsed off in the showers before going back to the hotel to change. Thorne had another idea to make up for cutting their snorkeling short.

"Where to next?" asked Cress, sliding into a pair of shorts and a tank top.

"It's a surprise!"

And surprised she was. Cress stood at the base of the dormant volcano, mouth agape. "Aces above," she muttered. "We're hiking a volcano?"

Thorne beamed. "We are. You aren't scared, are you?"

She scoffed. "As if. I'm stoked. Are you scared?"

He waved his hand. "No way. It's just a glorified mountain."

And he stood by that, because it's just as easy to lose your portscreen down the side of a volcano as it is a mountain.

He stared dumbly at the place where it landed, marked only by a glare of sunlight off of its very cracked surface.

Cress came to stand next to him, looking down. "That's a bummer," she said. "You can't even get to it, since it's fenced off."

He continued to stare. "My port."

She patted his back. "It's okay. We can get a new one when we get back to L.A. I'll make sure to back up the files from it and disable it when we get back to the hotel. No one will get to it before then."

His shoulders sagged. "I can't believe I lost my port."

"It's not lost. It's right there." Cress tugged on his hand. "Let's go, there's a lot more volcano to climb."

* * *

When it came time for dinner, he was prepared. The reservations had been set at the restaurant since he'd first planned the trip. It was the nicest seafood restaurant in all of North America, known best for its different takes on ceviche. Cress loved ceviche.

Cress wore a stunning deep purple dress that glittered in the light. She'd curled her hair and wore a delicious perfume. Thorne almost wanted to stay at the hotel.

But he was on a mission tonight.

"Don't you look absolutely mesmerizing?" he asked, sticking out his elbow for her to take.

She smirked. "You look rather handsome yourself."

The restaurant was but a short distance from the hotel, and the chance of rain was a measly 5%, so they walked.

The restaurant was packed when they arrived. Thorne smiled, mentally patting himself on the back for having thought to make a reservation.

He approached the hostess. "Hi, reservation for two under Thorne."

The hostess blinked at him. "I'm sorry, the restaurant has been rented out."

He couldn't believe this. "But I've had a reservation for months."

"I understand that, sir, but I cannot seat you if you are not part of the party."

"You can't spare one corner booth?" He gestured toward himself and Cress. "Not even for two revolutionaries?"

"I'm sorry, sir. The restaurant is booked up."

That was it. The day was officially a disaster.

He should've quit while he was ahead, which was probably breakfast.

Thorne stormed out of the restaurant, Cress calling after him as she followed. He turned down an alley and pressed his back against the wall.

Cress moved to stand in front of him. "What's wrong?"

He pressed his palms into his eyes. "Aces, Cress. Today was supposed to be your perfect day." He dragged his hands through his hair, coating them in a thin layer of gel. His frustration with himself was only mounting. "I just wanted it to be perfect. Romantic. Dream-like in just how damn awesome it was. But no. So much went wrong."

He turned away from her, unwilling to check her features for any signs of disappointment.

But if she were disappointed, it was not betrayed in her voice. "Captain, every day with you is a perfect day." He squeezed his eyes shut. She was too good to him. "It's okay that things didn't go exactly how you wanted. Honolulu is gorgeous. I got to swim with a _sea turtle_. I get to stay in a beautiful hotel and we walked on a volcano. So what if it didn't go smoothly? It was amazing and perfect for me."

He turned back to her. Her eyes and smile showed only understanding, showed only that she was telling the truth.

It began to rain.

Thorne cursed. The hotel wasn't far, but they'd be soaked by the time they got back.

"Aces and spades, Cress. I needed today to go smoothly." He dropped to his knees, the jolt of hitting the concrete running up his thighs. He winced. "I wanted it to be perfect. I needed it to be."

Cress put one hand on his shoulder, the other on his cheek. "Why? Why did you need that?"

He dropped his head. Reached into his pocket. Presented the small velvet box to her. Cress gave a small gasp.

"We were supposed to have the world's best ceviche. And then I was going to order the tiramisu because it's your favorite. And then I was going to ask you to marry me, and you were going to recall that today was the best day ever and you'd have no doubt that marrying me is exactly what you wanted. And you'd say yes and I would spend the rest of our lives trying to top your 20th birthday."

He was starting to get a chill as the rain soaked through his shirt. He couldn't look at Cress, didn't want to know how she looked after hearing his news.

"Captain," she breathed, so quietly that he'd barely heard her. "You gave me the best birthday ever - which is saying a lot, because I've had a lot of great birthdays with you - and you thought there was a chance that I'd say_no_?"

He looked at her now. He couldn't tell if it was a tear or a raindrop rolling down her cheek.

"You thought that minor inconveniences would affect my decision?"

He was starting to regret sinking to his knees, the concrete biting into the skin, but he wasn't sure that his legs could hold him up just yet. "When you put it like that, it sounds ridiculous."

She smiled softly. "It is ridiculous. I meant what I said about everyday with you being perfect. In the three years that I've truly loved you, not once did I doubt wanting to spend my life with you. Everything else is just icing on the cake."

Thorne would not cry. He wouldn't. Lifting one leg, he adjusted so that he was only on one knee. He held up the velvet box again, opened it to reveal the gorgeous ruby ring inside. "So, Crescent Moon, is that a yes?"

Cress let out the cutest squeak as she opened her mouth to respond. "Yes."


End file.
